#mianite jeriah

[chiangyorange]

my piece for the 10 year anniversary mianite zine!!! i love the alternated sm i wish they literally had anything </3 the MOST color coordinated team ever

please please please check out the full zine here, there are so many amazing artists and writers who worked hard on it!!

some progress work under the cut if youre interested

i looked at countrybats skin and literally went. oh. oh no. so fuck that noise, i worked her outfit from the ground up because. wow that thing was sure dated huh. i tried putting her in a light pink. didnt work.

jeriah gave me the most trouble in designing him because his skin was almost TOO straightforward you know?? like there was no wiggle room so his overall silhouette was just a struggle.

the issue with spark and mot is that their outfits are predominately the same thing?? white shirt. black jacket black pants, so the process of making that different was also a big issue. i gave spark a VERY LOOSE medieval big fuckin jacket silhouette though, hope that came across well

mot i just NEED you to look me in the eyes and tell me that a 20 smth year old twink is capable of being a father. the answer is that he is not. i made him big. i gave him fat. he and dianite are big men in love. i will not be taking any criticisms on my mot design at this time.

[conwayfamilytree]

You guys are not READY for the jeriah spark fic I’m about to drop no I don’t care if it doesn’t fit cannon no I don’t care if it’s poorly written

[licantropa]

what if spark had a really good reason for leaving?

we don’t ever meet him, but we do get to meet ianite. we see how she plagued dagrun, and hear how she burned katsir. if she hurts so does everything and everyone around her. their relationship is not exactly a balanced one, they aren’t equals, not truly. she’s says that spark said goodbye, that he left without reason, but what if that’s not entirely true? what if ianite, a goddess who wants to be heard but doesn’t listen, didn’t want to hear it. spark left and it had been a long time coming.

or maybe he’s just selfish and didn’t want every facet of himself to be about her. because who is spark conway outside of his faith for ianite? a father? a husband? a champion? an architect? a king? all of that points back to her, things he did for her, with her.

[coolcattime]

Mot Screziato, Alyssa Screziato, Spark Conway all have last names. Screziato connects Mot and Alyssa to one another, Conway which not only connects Spark to his family now (Martha, Andor, Alva, Helgrind) but to wherever he had been from before. But Jeriah is just Jeriah. No connection other than his title.

Oh this is such an interesting thing to think about because not only do Mot, Alyssa, and Spark had last names - I think there's an argument to be made that family is the most important thing to Spark and Mot.

With Mot I think it's clear that Alyssa is the most important person in his life, even beyond Dianite. Like I don't even think there's a question about that. His family is as small as it could possibly be but Mot would be dead before anything bad happened to Alyssa. He brought her to the new world with him, because there was no way he was losing anyone else.

Spark's connection to his family is different, though I still think they're incredibly important to him. Leaving them weighed heavily on him, learning that most of them died hurt more than anything. The Conway name is a heavy one from his descendants, something almost as impossible to live upto as being descended from Ianite, but they still carry it and Spark's legacy carries on until the end of Ruxomar.

So why doesn't Jeriah have a last name? Thematically Jeriah doesn't have any family, which itself is an odd trait for a Season Two character (I think Gaines is the only other real character to have no family at all, though correct me if I'm wrong), though technically a general would go by their last name. Given that he doesn't, maybe his blood knights were a family of sorts to him, but they aren't around anymore so who would actually know. I think, personally, Jeriah goes only by his first name as a tiny bit of a fuck you to his time in Mianite's army, because he's a person, he's not a thing to be controlled or owned or ordered. Heck, maybe he had a last name that he completely dropped as part of his loophole out of Mianite's contract or just to cut off that part of his life.

But I also think I lied a bit because Jeriah does have a family, he just doesn't keep their last name. Mot might fain annoyance and namecall, but he trusts the man to help raise Alyssa which is certainly not something the man would trust most people to do. And perhaps there was something missed decades ago with Spark, back when their life's split across different paths that neither would erase even given the chance, but you don't spend a decade with a man that you don't have a bond with - who knows what that bond is, but it might as well be family. And I think as the group grows, Jeriah's family does. Though if he actually notices? Probably not until something threatens them, but that doesn't mean that they don't notice.

[syndianites]

I've always wondered what the criteria for being an 'alt' in mianite was.

Like, assuming it was a thought-out thing and not just a fun gimmick of being in an alternate reality, how is it determined who your alt is?

There's a few ways you can look at it:

They are literally you in a different universe- like literally exactly who you are but put in a different situation

They are someone who fills the same *role* as you, being more a metaphorical alternate

They are who, essentially, took your place in the world. It was either you existed OR they existed, not both

They are just the mirror of yourself, so to speak. Someone very similar to you and having the same core features, but having different... aspects? Like, if you were loyal and brave, but generally rather shy, your alternate would /also/ be loyal and brave, but could be easy and outgoing.

The reason I tend to ponder this a lot with Mianite as a series is because it very much feels like it could go any way, /except/ the person being a literal you from a different universe.

And I know that may be an unpopular look at it, but if you compare our most popular alt- Mot, to Tom, aside from the name and being partially mob-fied, what do they have in common as people? Their backgrounds are very different (which is to be expected), their personalities are very different, their choices and decisions can often conflict with each other, and so on and so forth.

In my head, someone literally being a different 'you' would either entail them having the same exact name (both having been "Tom" or "Mot" at some point) or looking nigh identical (though the Tom/Mot example is a little harder considering their different mob afflictions).

I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that when I think of a "traditional" alternative self, I think of the exact same person who was just put in a different situation. Like if Tom, for example, had been put in a situation where his family had all died and he got infected, etc etc. But even when in different situations you find that people tend to look the same, or has similar personality traits, or even have a similar way of thinking. Of course, we don't get to see a lot of alt interactions because Mot, for the majority of the time we see him, is the only "known" alt (since we didn't know Steve was supposed to be a Wag alt).

So how would I, personally, define alts in the Mianite universe? Honestly, I'm not sure. For a while I went on the idea that it was someone who was in "your role" in this other universe. Mot and Tom are both champions of Dianite, Spark and Jordan are both important devotees to Ianite, etc etc, but can we use that to explain Jeriah and Alyssa, or even Wag and Steve?

I think I sit right between the "role" aspect of alts and the "mirror" aspect. They almost beg the same question, "what is this person's defining traits," but in different ways. Tom and Mot are both heavily loyal, Tom to his friends and even the previous Dianite, who he stuck with even when he was THE bad guy, and Mot to Alyssa and Dianite. Spark and Jordan are both very devoted and- crafty? I don't know what word I'd use, but Spark created a whole town, Jordan had the Jerry's tree, how Jordan was very invested in any study he came across and how Spark was very invested in spreading the word of Ianite, etc. From what snippets we get, Sonja and Alyssa are both playful at heart and kind, though we don't get to see too much about Alyssa. I'd make a stab at what Jeriah is like but we basically never see him. Wag and Steve are both rather straightforward and not afraid to cause damage to get what they want done- and also have the same taste in women (lol).

You could argue that this is because they fill the same "roles" as each other, but you could also argue that it's because the characters share the same "base traits." It's like the chicken and the egg argument- does the role require the traits, or do the traits lead to the role? If two people are alts of each other, who came first? Who is the "original," discounting the fact that we enter the world of Mianite through Tiem Reester and are biased into believing they are the originals.

The people who throw this most into question are the gods themselves. They literally fill the same roles, have the same names, have very similar characteristics, and are basically the poster-children to the "traditional" idea of alternate versions of yourself. But if you stripped away everything- the godhood, the names, the aspects of life they embody- what do they have in common? The gods present that "what-if" scenario that happens when you look into alternate realities far better than the "human" people we see. Are both Dianite's stubborn and confident? Are both Mianite's self-assured and believe themselves to always be in the right? Are both Ianite's dedicated to walking the line between aspects, trying to keep a grip on the happenings of their universe and the fluctuations of the Void?

Mianite, as a series, gives us /so many things/ to think about but never a solid resolution to these ideas because it was never meant to. It was a story made up on the fly, a bridge being built as we walked along it. And I think that's why it sticks in my mind so much compared to other series that broach similar ideas. There are so many open-ended questions that /we/ get to solve, to debate, to consider, that it just sticks with you because it is so, so hard to leave something "unfinished."

Anyway, rant over, please go back to your regularly scheduled activities

[sincraft]

Who is mianite’s champion in season 2? Is it Jeriah (Tucker’s alt)?

I’m gonna be real, all I know about Jeriah is on the wiki— which is next to nothing —because I do not remember this man

Any and all information would be helpful, thank you!

[kiwibirdlafayette]

after the battles, yet we cannot win the war (its a mad multiverse out there that's for sure)

hi im back. its timeline time >:] very much still a work in progress, uhh only vague for that I don't wanna spoil Big Things (for no reason, this is really all for fun LMAO no one is gonna wanna produce this)

*obligatory disclaimer, all named characters are in reference to solely the RP characters, and have nothing to do with CCs

the stuff that happens after S2/before Isles isnt as important plus ive rambled about it before

During Isles tldr; Sonja revives Capsize with the help of Spark, Kristin, Phil and Ianite.

Tom returns to the present from Isles, literally falling from a rift and landing facefirst onto the deck of Capsize's boat

Jordan got taken by DreamXD into the DSMP to be trapped in the End Realm- long story short he finds Techno and Phil, they free him, he gets launched far from the Syndicate meeting room, roped into working for Wilburger and reconnects with Tubbo this is all the DSMP Sparklez stuff

When Techno's Syndicate has their ending (the canon one Phil wrote), Rux!Dianite (I'll just refer to him as Dia) uses the anomaly signal caused when Wilbur left to Utah to find Jordan and bring him home with Tubbo (Michael and Ranboo idk they fit in here somewhere im not on about writing this just yet)

Everyone's home yayyy Tom is doin his Mecha Dianite things, everyone's kinda gettin along (not really.. lots of uh. skeletons in the closet. Big Character Conflits). then Boom. Alice Syndicate (and Karl bc he deserves to get saved from whatever the fuck happens to him at the end of Isles im not that far yet LMAO anyways)

Basically. Big Frick. NoWhere (deity of multiverse) has discovered a force that is causing worlds to decay away (ooc: inactive SMPs) explaining why it seems Mianite is getting rotted despite Tom being there aka all 3 gods present

Leads them to Vault Hunters/Hermitcraft universe- long running, no decay, Vault Gods must know something

Tom gets sent there first. Cue confusion thing and him bein a little messed up with his attachment issues to Jordan after he just got his bf back, he fights Pete, gets kicked

X33n (aka deviser gaines who ditched everyone and reinvented himself) and Tubbo talk to VH!Ianite get Tom back, he talks to Vault Gods. Wendarr explains what the force was, now their worlds are untimed. This entity is like a mimic, its hard to find. Suggests they check Hermitcraft

Tom returns, the team prepares. Dia agrees to take Tom's place alongside the S1 siblings temporarily to let him investigate.

On the way to speak to the hermit gods or watchers, theyre intercepted by someone who looks like Martyn inthelittlewood (its not him) in the data streams who says they have information. Jokes on them. its a mimic, and sends them flying off their trail into a random vanilla world.

Its where Tucker went. theres also a witch there too shes chill

They catch up with Tucker, find out where he's been.

Conflict part 23, haven't fleshed this out but ends with Tucker agreeing to join them in their shenanigans one last time

Alice finds traces of the entity in a realm akin to Empires S2, its called Aitheaca.

Through her portal, Tom, Jordan, Sonja, Capsize and Tucker end up in Aitheaca, and are greeted by the fishy Watcher Merina and wither skeleton Cassell, who help them get to safety before Flash can find them

Wag is also there by a random coincidence, has just been hanging out with William and Mianite. Bro's just been travelling about the multiverse for fun

Most story takes place here; Martha's theory is the Ianite in this realm is housing the entity (Jordan agrees.. why else would his lady be evil and hellbent on keeping balance to the point of it being destructive?) Basically, them two's about to have a massive fucking wakeup call. Capsize is skeptical

Back home, Ianite, Dia and Mianite are trying to hold their crumbling realm together with the help of Spark, Mot Jeriah and Alyssa, going back n forth between Ruxomar to pick up quintessence. Its not gone well

Stuff ensues. How it ends? I really don't know yet...

and uh. I mean i do have more but its more spoilery but its for ending things which I'm still working out so yeeee But! That's the gist of it; I really wanna focus on themes of them having to understand things are temporary, the idea of things having to have an end, and when it ends, who will be there to start again with you.

[motherianite]

So in the ten years that the ruxomar heroes were gone, did anyone give a fuck that Dianite was dead? I know Martha spent that time looking for Ianite and Mianite was stealing inertia. What about Steve? Like was anyone concerned until Spirit Dianite came back and told them to get his body back? Or did they just assume that Spark, Jeriah, Mot, & Alyssa we’re going to get him back?

[transandor]

Lt. Al, Jeriah, and Alyssa for the superhero au

lt. al was an almost-hero, trained by mianite, and, for a time, mianite's mother. he didn't pass the psychological evaluation, and ended up a high ranking security officer at the archives instead. he's not happy about it.

jeriah is one of the founders of the archives, and spark's close friend. he no longer speaks to the current head of the archives and he spends none of his time there. his powers are unknown- some people believe him to be related to jericho.

alyssa is mot's daughter. she's currently in her first year of college, and has a semi-aspiration to be a hero, but is also considering becoming a medic, due to her father's request. works a part time job at the library.

[wildcardjoey]

also for shelter au, what are the characters different opinions on their deities( is that the right word) and each other? Does it differ a lot now that they’re in a new world or are they the same.

Since, while they are in a different world, the Mianite and Ianite focused on in this au are the same two from the world Mianite, Tucker has the same opinion of Mianite as he did s1, Sanja's has slightly shifted, she no longer actively follows a god, but she sees him the same as a person as she always has. In a similar vein, Sparklez remains as devoted to Ianite as he has always had. Tom still hates Mianite but, as he now serves Ruxomar's Dianite, he no longer hates Ianite. Devisor Gains follows Mianite but works for Dianite. The two fill the role of a better god and employer than Ruxomar's Mianite ever was. Waglington is in a loving relationship with Martha and Andor doesn't have any followers yet, but as a god of journeys in all it's meanings and forms, he's sure to get people who start taking him as a patron soon.

As for 'of each other,' the group hasn't ever been closer. They shared being hunted by World Historian across the void for so long, the feelings of loss and betrayal when their screen selves cut their connections and never returned, having to work as a single unit with their limited resources to keep everyone alive in the most hostile environment imaginable. Tucker alone has about a million different complexes developed from having to manage the groups' effectively single witchcraft-connected health bar. having let it drop to half a heart once, nearly getting them all killed. The group has become a series of pillars structured so that nothing could possibly hope to knock the whole structure down, but if one were to instead focus on a single pillar, the entire thing would collapse.

Back on Tom, he does hate S1 Dianite. He hates him more than Mianite. He will not disobey his orders because it will bring about the chaos that he follows. However, if any of those orders put his freinds, his family in danger, he will not hesitate to take that power back.

That’s something he really doesn’t want to do. He’s not fit to lead a place as large as a dimension. Ruling goes against everything he stands for. Taking Dianite’s power back sets him down that road and eternity is a long ass time. No matter how much he’d try to avoid it, a war declared on him here, a failed inquisition there, being forced to step in against a tyrant violating human rights over there, if he came into power there, he’d end up ruling it all eventually. 

He knows he’ll want to settle eventually. Maybe a lead designer or building prototypes for Ruxomar Dianite. Maybe a retirement living off the same treasure hoard he’ll be buried with, a blessing to any treasure hunters that come after him. Maybe a quiet smithy where he’ll forge weapons for future heroes. But immortality, ruling a dimension, he can’t see that. He refuses to out live his the others, to risk forgetting them in some unforeseen age to come.

As for the alternates, they all have favorable opinions of Spark and Spark of them, although Mot and Jeriah despise each other and Alyssa didn’t really have the best opinion of Jeriah either, although having spent a few years adventuring with him has eased that quite a bit. Their relations with their counterparts are mostly that of mentors although that’s begrudging for Jericho and Jeriah. The situation is flipped for Sanja and Alyssa.

[discoverytwo-archive]

i think jeriah is aroace! i don’t care if he never appeared in canon he’s my boy now and if he never appeared in canon then i can hc whatever i want about him :P

[conwayfamilytree]

ACAB includes Jeriah. I only speak facts

[licantropa]

7&8 for the alters or each version of ianite :)

thank you for the ask!

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I love when the alts have a much harder time working together as a team. Putting aside their own personal issues for the good of the rest of the group and goals doesn’t come as naturally to them, because they weren’t around each other 24/7 in ruxmor so they don’t fit in as well with each other. drama issues interpersonal problems!

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I think ‘despise’ is a strong word, most of these things irk me more than anything when it comes to characterization of the alts.

I have to go one by one, so I’ll start with:

Spark: why must we pit two bad bitches (him & the tree of katsir) against one another? the common denominator of the problem here is obviously ianite. But in all seriousness, it’s him being a mentor figure to jordan and him being open to that. like I don’t think either of them would enjoy being around each other for longer than necessary, much less taking advice from one another.

Mot: must every action he take be about his romantic love for his god? he is a father and (arguably) that’s a higher priority to him than dianite and has been for the last ten years. if faced with the decision to choose one or the other, could he honestly choose anyone other than Alyssa?

Alyssa: her considering ruxmor’s dianite as a father. last time she saw him she was six and he is arguably the reason her dad abandoned her to go back to ruxmor. she doesn’t know the guy, much less know him enough to view him like that just cause her dad fancies him.

Jeriah: people barely talk about him, but to be fair he’s got less than nothing in comparison to the rest so it’s understandable. I know that some people probably write him as being team mianite, but the guy fucking hates him, so much so that he apparently goes around helping others while talking shit about the god.

[coolcattime]

Home and Free: Chapter One - Capsize

Characters: Captain Capsize, Sonja Firefox, Skipper Redbeard, Jordan Captainsparklez, Tucker Jericho, Tom Syndicate, Martha the Mystic, Mot Screziato, Alyssa Countybat, Waglington, Farmer Steve, Prince Andor, Jeriah, Lady Ianite (mentioned)

Relationship: Captain Capsize/Sonja Firefox, Captain Capsize/Jordan Captainsparklez (onesided)

AO3 Link

Full Story Tag

One crisp autumn morning, a young woman walked on the small path from her home to the small town it sat on the edge of. Her curly ponytail and blue light coat blew in the light breeze. ‘At least the weather is pleasant’ she thought as she made the short walk, a boot on the ground followed by a boot and a cane. The weather seemed to be the only thing that changed day to day since herself and her brother came to this dull little town on the recommendation of Lady Ianite. However, she still needed to continue her own life else she’d get stuck in a runt that would eat anyway at her. She couldn’t let that happen. Sure, the drudgery of the past couple of years had been eating away at her, but it would only get worse if she didn’t try to continue some level of a normal life.

As she entered, those around her were also beginning their daily business. The same greetings as always hit her ears, once again making her question if she was somehow stuck in a loop of the same day. Neighbours greeted each other through opening windows and doors, those going about their daily business outside the home joining in groups to talk as they completed their errands. Capsize was one of the few walking alone, something she was perfectly fine with. As much as she missed the near constant companionship she used to have, she could make do with her own thoughts. Given the whisperings she often overheard, she doubted anyone here would make for good company anyway. After all, she had only been walking a few minutes and she already felt the stares.

The smell of fresh bread hit her as she passed the bakery, its owner performing the same opening routine as ever. The same time, the same stock, the same amount. She had long since learnt what the bakery had to offer, which she supposed was good though she didn’t need anything today. In fact, every shop and market stall in town was remarkably consistent in their stock, admittedly a convenient trait, but she still missed the unpredictability of near constant travel. The docks had been ever changing, and with them the items she had access to. It was something she didn’t even realise she would miss until her injury had forced a more permanent home and, suddenly, she didn’t have such experiences anymore. And left was a desire for anything interesting at all to happen.

“Good morning, Capsize!” The baker greeted as he happened to open his door just as she passed, stopping her in her tracks.

“Oh! Good morning,” She said with a polite smile. She tried her best to stay on at least polite terms with the town’s shopkeepers, having been a merchant herself she understood the importance of maintaining such a relationship. However, she knew it was just polite. They would greet her as she passed, and she would greet them back, but otherwise there was not much difference with them and everyone else in town. Though they at least tended to wait until she was out of earshot to talk about her.

“Where are you headed today?” He said in such a tone that she couldn’t tell if he was filling the silence or genuinely interested. She decided, perhaps overly optimistic, to assume it was the latter. After all, what was the harm in answering genuinely?

“I’m going to visit Jeriah. I need to return a book I borrowed, a story about—”

“That’s nice. Hurry up back there with the baguettes!” He cut her off, immediately turning his focus back to his work. Capsize couldn’t begrudge him, though she also couldn’t help but lightly sigh. He had better things to do than to listen to her, but it would be nice for someone to listen to her. Well, at least there was Jeriah, who she should probably get a move on to if she wanted to see him before he left. No point in lingering when she had things to do.

As she began to walk again, once again left to her own thoughts, the townsfolk began to take notice of her. Since she and her brother had moved into town, she had been quite the source of gossip. Originally it had just been curiosity, after all it was incredibly rare for newcomers to arrive. The whole story, or rather multiple apparent full stories filled with half-truths, misconceptions, and complete fabrications, had spread through the town like wildfire. The siblings were certainly merchants, as her brother still travelled for a few weeks every season or two to sell goods. However, their exact activities and types of goods prior to moving here sold changed wildly depending on who was telling the story.

Then, of course, there was her connection to Lady Ianite. She admittedly had not realised what a big deal it would be to the town that she had communicated with the goddess. She had thought that with the two known champions of the gods living in the town that they would be used to such a relationship with the gods. However, it seemed the gods were not the most communicative towards their champions, with the title itself having little meaning in a time of such peace. She was the only person in decades to have had a conversation with the goddess, which had just attracted her more attention, especially from the champions, that she really wasn’t interested in.

Then there were the questions about her leg. None of the questions were to her face, they had a little more tact than that, but the cane ever present by her right side was the cause of some hushed questioning. It was known that she was injured in some way prior to arriving in town, which was one of the few things either of the siblings has mentioned on the topic. However, none had deemed it appropriate to question them any further as they assumed it would be a sensitive topic. Though that didn’t stop them from gossiping and speculating.

However, despite many things about her being mysterious, there was one thing about Capsize was her appearance. With bronze skin, long brown hair, and brown eyes, she stood out from the crowd, it was undeniable that she was beautiful. Much to her own annoyance, this was the fact that attracted the most attention to her, both in the form of gossip and in men trying to attract her attention. Yes, she was in the mind of many the most beautiful girl in town, it was just a shame that she was…

“It’s a shame she’s so odd,” Capsize heard among the normal marketplace chatter. It was an annoyingly common thing for her to hear not quite whispered. She knew what people thought of her, that much of the things she enjoyed and her general personality made her seem strange to most of those in the town. And truly she didn’t mind, it was their opinion, but would it kill them to discuss that opinion a bit quieter? The inane talking of people buying and selling in the market was easier to listen to, though it put uneasy lingering thoughts in her head of what life she had here. A thought that was hard to shift past.

Thankfully she didn’t have far to walk, and the nosy onlookers couldn’t enter a private residence, so she’d have peace from them. Though it didn’t make the rest of the walk any more pleasant, as so many of the comments about her were bad enough for her to take notice. Those not talking about how strange they found her were instead discussing her appearance which, despite the comments being positive, felt just as uncomfortable. They never cared to talk to her, just about her. That was tolerable when talking about her being odd, but something about them discussing her appearance while never trying to actually get to know her was mildly infuriating. But once she was inside, not actively hearing the comments, they’d be easy enough to ignore. That’s what she reminded herself of when she was still hearing such things while knocking on Jeriah’s door.

 “Ah Capsize, I was wondering when you’d show up. Come in,” The older man greeted her when he finally opened the door. He spoke as if they had an appointment, rather than Capsize just turning up every few days because she’d finished whatever book she had borrowed. He gave a small smile which, from the corner of her eyes, she saw become an intense glare to the outside once she passed him. He slammed the door shut far faster than he had opened it, living up to the image of the town’s misanthrope that she always heard him described as. She wondered who exactly had been following her, though trying to guess such a thing just based off his reaction would be difficult as he would’ve reacted the same for nearly everyone in town. It was apparently quite the shock that she had befriended the man, though she assumed that was due to the townsfolk spending as little time getting to know him as they did her. While he was perhaps curt at times, Capsize hadn’t found him to be nearly as abrasive as most seemed to think. “So, you’ve finished the book?”

“I couldn’t put it down,” She said, with a genuine tone of joy that she often had when talking about books. One of the few good things she had to say about moving here was the sudden amount of free time she had to read, even if she found the speed that she could get through books a little alarming considering the limited amount she had access to. Obviously, she could reread them, and she had already reread a couple that had become her favourites, but the books were also her only access to anything new, to any sort of unpredictability. Maybe it didn’t make much sense, but she was slightly anxious for the moment when she had read all the books that she had access to. “It didn’t seem like the sort of story you’d read though. You never struck me as the type to like such romantic endings.”

She said as she pulled the borrowed book from the canvas bag that she carried over her shoulder. She didn’t mean it as an insult towards either the man or the book, she just found it curious that he owned it at all. She had read a good number of the books in his collection now, and most of them were books she could very much see Jeriah reading. Not dour, but certainly serious and typically grounded in realism. Yet there was a small number, like the one she was currently holding, that were far more fantastical and focused on romance and adventure. It wasn’t that they were bad, in fact she quite enjoyed all of them, but she could not picture Jeriah reading them.

“It isn’t, I don’t even remember picking it up. Honestly, I think some of these must’ve been here when I moved in,” He said, a little unsure about the explanation, but not having a better one. Books were expensive, so he wasn’t exactly in the business of picking them up when he wasn’t interested in them, so it seemed most likely that he had added them to his collection upon finding them left behind. Yet that explanation didn’t sit quite right with him. He felt as if he should remember if that was the case, however just trying to remember where or why he got the books just drew a blank. A gap in his memory that he both didn’t want to think too much about, but none of less itched as if it was something he really should try to remember. However, where he actually got the books didn’t matter all that much to him now that they were actually seeing use. “I suppose you’ll be wanting another before I leave. Anything particular in mind?”

“Something long. You and Red are both leaving, I’m going to be bored out of my mind,” She said with a slight chuckle, her tone attempting to cover the genuine sadness at the situation. It wasn’t just the fact she was going to be stuck for nearly a month without the only two people in town who were genuinely friendly towards her, though that was certainly part of it. Capsize missed being able to travel. Her whole life had been spent on a ship, always travelling and never staying still, only to be stopped by one single split-second decision. Now she couldn’t even manage the three-day ride to the city market Red travelled to so they could continue making a living. Of course, her leg wouldn’t have been any trouble if they hadn’t moved somewhere so remote. There were times when she truly regretted listening to Ianite’s recommendation to come here, which she assumed the goddess herself sensed as there were many months now when she didn’t talk to Capsize at all. The whole situation tugged at her. It wasn’t exactly spirit breaking, if there was such a situation that could break her spirit, she hadn’t encountered it yet, but at times she felt a lingering sadness. Sure, she was technically lucky. Had the situation gone even a little differently she could’ve lost her leg, or someone could’ve lost their life, but she didn’t often feel lucky. Some days she just longed desperately to escape. “Some kind of adventure, like maybe…”

She trailed off as Jeriah took the book from her, unsure if asking for the same book three times was reasonable. She just liked the story, as much as she’d already read it twice it itched at her mind as she just wanted to pour over the pages and be lost in that world. Yet she almost questioned her own thoughts as she knew, inevitably, she would get annoyed at there not being anything new for the whole time she’ll be alone. However, despite her own hesitance and not actually saying what she wanted out loud, he understood what she was actually trying to request. Though he shook his head slightly as he turned towards his bookshelf, she reminded him a little too much of himself sometimes. That was in fact why he had been so willing to talk to her when she first came to town. And it had been quite nice to actually have someone to talk to. However, she was far too stubborn, he thought as he looked through the titles to find exactly what he was looking for.

“You can borrow this, it should hopefully last you longer than a day,” He said, handing her one of the thicker books that he owned. Honestly, he wasn’t actually sure how long it would take her to read it. He knew it would be before he returned, but that was honestly the most he could say. Capsize took it with some curiosity, the expression that she often had when being presented with a new book. She was tempted to open it immediately, to see the first few lines, however she didn’t think she had the time today. Rather she had all the time in the world, but she knew Jeriah was meant to be leaving to meet with the small militia he had founded long before this so she didn’t want to take up too much of his time that he could use to prepare for the journey. That and she did want to see her brother before he also left town. However, he wasn’t actually done yet. “And this is for you to keep.”

“No, Jeriah, I can’t,” She tried to object as he offered the exact book she had been thinking about. As much as she loved the story, she couldn’t just take it. It felt wrong.

“Yes, you can, and in fact I insist. You’ve gotten far more enjoyment out of it than I ever have,” He said, attempting to get her to take it. She had rambled about the story for what felt like hours, and possibly might have been. Meanwhile he had barely given it a glance before she had picked it from the shelf herself out of curiosity. However, he had already predicted that she would be stubborn about this. “But, if you’re going to insist you won’t take it for free, then there’s a couple of things you can do for me in exchange.”

“Of course! What do you need?” Capsize said, perking up. He almost sighed, because he really intended for it to be a gift, but she had a merchant’s brain. At least, that’s what Jeriah attributed to her being rather bad at taking gifts and preferring deals and exchanges. He found it a little frustrating, as he felt like he was short-changing her, but it was obvious she didn’t feel that way.

“Firstly, get your brother to pick me up some liquor, everything sold in this town is swill,” He said, with the knowledge that it wouldn’t be much effort for the man. There were only two things Redbeard reliably brought back from the city, one was a rose, which he brought back without fail to annoy his sister, and the other was a few bottles of high-quality alcohol. Capsize nodded, making the mental note to tell him to grab a few more bottles than usual. Though she still felt she was getting far too good a deal, which was actually the point, but Jeriah thankfully had a way to make that a tad less obvious. “Secondly, I haven’t been to the town I need to travel to for a few years and, and frankly I’d prefer not to get lost on the way. But I know you plot your brother’s route, so I’d very much appreciate your help in plotting my own.”

“It’d be my pleasure. You got a map you can show me?” She said with a smile, placing the book she’s currently holding down on the closest table so as to not be distracted by it. Jeriah smiled too, placing the book that was now hers on top of the other. As he left the room to collect the map that he hadn’t yet packed, he found himself thankful that he had started with the books. After all, if he had begun by asking her to plot his route as he had originally intended, it would’ve been far harder to convince her this was a trade.

🌹 🌹 🌹

It was a while later, on the far side of town, that a bird in flight was struck by an arrow. As it lost life in an instant, it plummeted towards the ground and towards two expectant men. One was rushing forward, adjusting his glasses as he lent down to check the fallen animal. The other was a good few steps behind, a man in a long, red coat and holding a bow. Both men had a few fresh kills hanging from their belts, though the man in the red coat had a good number more. Still, he felt little need to check on his most recent target as he was quite certain the shot had been successful as all the others had. His talent was absolute, so why spend time rushing about to check?

“Another shot right on target!” Tucker said with excitement which was perhaps a little over the top considering that Jordan never missed a shot. Of course, him literally never missing a shot was actually the remarkable thing. In all his time shooting, be it hunting or merely target practice, he had never missed a shot from a ranged weapon. Be it from a bow, crossbow, gun, or even a sling, his shot always landed. Consequently, there wasn’t a beast he had ever hunted that he hadn’t taken down. Despite how often he did such a feat, he never tired of hearing the compliments, of seeing admiration on everyone’s faces. “Seriously, it’s no wonder that you’re a god’s champion! You must be the best shot in the world!”

“I know. And it’s a good thing too since I’ll need to take down something big for my wedding feast,” He said, a smile wide on his face as he imagined the kind of impressive creature that would be good enough for such an event. It would need to be something big, something grand, not like the birds he and Tucker had been shooting down today. He wanted something rare, impressive. Only the very best would do. For his part, Tucker was momentarily confused. Jordan had not actually mentioned marriage prior to this point. However, the idea of his friend actually getting married was far too exciting to continue being confused.

“You’re finally gonna ask someone? Who’s the lucky one? I think everyone in town wants to be with you!” He said, far too excited to consider if his words were actually true or not. Of course, Jordan wasn’t thinking about that either. His future bride was already decided, not a single other person in consideration. He just needed to ask her, and of course she’d say yes when he did, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be room for a little wooing before the proposal.

“Obviously, the most beautiful girl in town. The only person as blessed by Lady Ianite as I am,” He said loudly and with a large smile as if already announcing to everyone. A few people who had been going about their daily business had begun paying attention to him, giving him at least a small audience beyond just his fellow champion. So much was lucky as his fellow champion did not look quite as excited as he perhaps should. After all, his words were pointing towards only one person, the woman in question was completely undoubtable, but that made him all the more confused.

“Capsize? But isn’t she—”

“Completely beautiful and the only person to have heard my Lady’s voice in over a decade?”

“Yes, but are you two actually—”

“Perfect for each other are the words I’d use. Remember that gift she gave me? She hasn’t given such a thing to anyone else in town, so clearly, she feels the same way.”

“Actually, I think she… Are you completely sure about this?”

“Of course, I’m sure, Tucker! I’ve been sure since the moment I saw her!” Yes, he knew Capsize was the only one for him. When he learned that two followers of his Lady would be moving into town, he had already been excited. Seeing one of them was such a beautiful woman had basically smitten him on the spot. He’d only fallen further in love with her when she had mentioned talking to his Lady, and just mentioning it off as if it was no big deal to her. How could he have not fallen in love with her? And sure, a lot of people in town described her as weird or strange, but that just meant less competition for him. “I’m going to marry her, just you watch!”

“Of course! Whatever help you need just let me know!” He said with excitement. He was a little unsure exactly how this was going to go, but he certainly was going to miss it. There was a good chance that this was going to be chaotic, so he’d need to support his friend. Going after the only person in town that wasn’t already heads-over-heels for him could end up crushing him if it went wrong. That and Jordan wasn’t exactly the most perceptive person as demonstrated by him being too busy adjusting his bow string to notice the woman he planned to marry walking past, her nose buried in the book she now owned that she was holding carefully in one hand. By the time he actually managed to get his friend’s attention, she was already halfway through the market crowd. This sent the two men running hoping they could push through in time to reach her. As they moved, the crowd continued discussing their everyday life, but at the same time gossiping about the woman who was both so beautiful and so odd to them. This was almost completely ignored by the men as they tried to push through. However, while she tried her best to pretend she couldn’t hear any of it, Capsize found herself listening far too much to the chatter behind her, longing for any sort of confirmation that there was more to life than what she was currently experiencing.

[syndianites]

Okay so hear me out, I saw that you said about that Jeriah gave off the vibes of having a wife and I completely agree. I can envision their wedding day, Spark standing next to him at the alter, being best man, and out comes his soon to be wife...Wearing the same suit he is. And once she finishes walking down the alter to stand in front of him, he’s jokingly like “one of us is gonna have to change”. So they’d have a pretty healthy and overall good relationship (1/2)

Oh shit! That’s some heavy, big brain thinking!

Because, considering Mot’s character and the events he was thrust back into, there’s no way he went to check on Jeriah’s family. In fact, he probably didn’t think about them until the moment Jeriah brought them up.

The way I see Mot is that he is a selfishly inclined person- he had a shitty childhood, was raised by the god of chaos to be his right hand man and a deadly assassin, and had to claw his way to happiness and fight to keep a hold of it.

Hell, he jumped into- a portal? the void?- (I don’t remember. I believe it was a portal), something because he refused to stay in a world where the happiness he had made and the life he had made had been so quickly torn from him.

When he returned to Ruxomar, the first thing on his mind would have been Dianite.

So when Jeriah confronts him, he knows he messed up their relationship. And as much as Jeriah shouts, and yells, and cries at Mot, there’s this almost smug part of him that sees the breakdown Jeriah is going through and sees how he, himself, still has everything he wanted to keep hold of. Mot still has Dianite, and Alyssa is still there.

Jeriah, though? He has nothing now. He’s in a land with gods he doesn’t know, with people he doesn’t know, with the only people who know who he is are the survivors from his own world.

Jeriah, who has fought in hundreds of battles. Jeriah, who constantly struggled to help the world be a better place. Jeriah, who was prepared for whatever calamity the world threw his way, only to be taken from the world before the calamity came back.

He followed Mot to this new world to help him, and what does Mot do for him? Mot leaves, finds his sweetheart, and dips out with all that he wanted before the universe collapses.

The simmering anger and despair clutching at Jeriah’s chest would feel like a vice.

And the thing is? Jeriah doesn’t know if he’d have done the same thing or not. Sure, he tries to make sure to help everyone. But if the world was put at stake and he had the choice of telling his friend’s family that his friend was okay or doing everything in his power to make sure the person he loved came back, what would he do?

For all that he is angry with Mot and feels a deep betrayal from him, he’s mainly using Mot as an outlet for how cheated he feels.

How cheated he feels about not being there so save his family. Or to keep his promises to the land he called home. Or even to try and make a difference, to make a change and maybe, just maybe, keep more people alive.

At the end of the day, he’s mad at himself for abandoning the world that needed him.

But for now? For now, he’s mad at Mot for everything he didn’t do to save his family, because Mot was the only one who could have.

Yeah, I’m diggin’ this ask, thanks for sending it :3c